Shoe making apparatus



1955 R. w. BRADLEY ET AL 2,719,901

SHOE MAKING APPARATUS Filed June 9, 1953 4 Sheets-sheaf 2 Oct. 4, 1955R. w. BRADLEY ETAL 2,719,901

SHOE MAKING APPARATUS Filed June 9, 1955 4 Sheets-Shem- 3 fnvenio 115'Robert 14 Brad/g Norman d Der/uh Q; rkeir/lzarnfy Oct. 4, 1955 R. w.BRADLEY ETAL 2,719,901

SHOE MAKING APPARATUS Filed June 9, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 [nvenzonsQoberf h/Brad/ey Norman Jfierrah By i'heirfliorng United States PatentSHOE MAKING APPARATUS Application June 9, 1953, Serial No. 360,568

3 Claims. (Cl. 212-1063) This invention relates to an apparatus formaking shoes and more particularly to improvements in apparatus fordielectrically heating the end portion of a lasted shoe for the purposeof converting limp stiffener material incorporated in the upper thereofto a stiifened condition for the purpose of providing a stiffened shoeend portion.

In an advantageous method of stiflening selected upper portions of theend ofa shoe, it has been the practice to incorporate into the selectedportion, in limp condition, a material which may be converted to astiffened condition by subjection to a high-frequency electric field.Such a method, for example, is described in United States Letters PatentNo. 2,539,608, issued January 30, 1951, upon an application filed in thename of John J. Brophy. The stiffener material is in general convertibleby any form of heat, but a high-frequency electric field has been foundparticularly advantageous in converting the material since its locationbeneath the upper leather makes difficult rapid heating of the materialby conduction through the upper materials.

Apparatus for dielectrically heating an end portion I of a shoe may beprovided in which an alternating electric field is established betweenelectrodes operatively positioned adjacent to such portion. In suchapparatus the operative position of the electrodes may differ withdifferent sizes and styles of shoes. Because of the need for rapidoperation in factory production and because of the need to accommodate alarge range of styles and sizes of shoes, it is desirable to provide forquick and easy positioning of the electrodes in operative position foreach shoe to be heated in its turn and yet to provide for minimizinginterference by the electrodes with loading and unloading.

At the same time, any means for operatively positioning the electrodesmust avoid, during the heating operation, excessive pressure upon theupper materials, particularly at the sides of the shoe, since somedelicate upper materials may be marked thereby.

An important object of the invention accordingly is the provision of anelectrode arrangement for establishing an electric field in and in whichelectrode members may be quickly and easily moved into operativeposition adjacent to the sides of the shoe and there supported with aminimum of inward pressure.

To this end and in accordance with a feature of this invention, anelectrode assembly is provided wherein each of a pair of electrodeelements is supported upon a carrier for movement therewith toward andaway from the other element in a predetermined oblique path inclinedslightly downward toward the other, so that the electrode elements tendto fall together and are adapted thereby gently to engage opposite sidesof a workpiece. In the illustrative embodiment, the pair of electrodeelements is supported by a pair of pivoted arms which, in accordancewith a feature of this invention, have inwardly and upwardly tiltedco-planar pivot axes so that the heel end portion of a shoe, I

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gravity provides an inwardly biasing force to the electrode members,which force can conveniently be maintained at a very small and constantmagnitude.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means forfacilitating the insertion of a workpiece into such apparatus. Inaccordance with another feature of the invention, a cover-operatedsliding wedge separator is provided to separate the arms when the coveris opened and to release the arms when the cover is closed.

These and other features and advantages of the invention to be definedin the claims are described in detail in the following specification inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sideelevation partly in section of an apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly in section of the apparatus shown inFig. 1;

I Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the electrode assembly shownin Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view partly in section of the electrodeassembly shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises a lower section orcabinet (not shown) containing a power supply and an upper section orchassis 12 on and withinwhich are mounted the components of ahighfrequency oscillator and on which are mounted counter activatingelectrodes E and a shoe supporting mechanism P. A tiltable cover 14having a handle 16 is mounted on the chassis 12 by a rod 18 journaled inbrackets 20 secured to the chassis. The cover is normally held open by aspring 22 but may be moved down by the handle 16 to a positioncompletely enclosing the top of the chassis, in which position it may beautomatically locked for the duration of the treatment by means notshown. In the illustrative apparatus, the oscillator tubes 30 aresupported on a bracket 32 at the rear of the chassis. The anodes of thetubes are connected to the ends of an anode tank 36 which is mounted ona support 38 secured to the chassis 12, while the tube grids areconnected to a grid tank 40. A variable condenser 42 is provided foradjusting the resonant frequency of the grid circuit.

The electrodes E are mounted on an upright member Sti (Fig. l) ofinsulating material, the upright member 50 being secured in turn to theback of a support 52 which is fastened at the rear of a removable track54 on which the shoe supporting mechanism P rides. At the top of theupright member 50 is secured a bearing mount 69 for the upper electrodewhile beneath this mount there is secured another bearing mount 62 forthe lower electrode. Each mount is formed with a pair of holes 64 (Fig.3) to receive a pair of ball bearings 66 on which the arms 63, whichsupport the pairs of electrode elements 70, are pivoted. The holes 64and accordingly the bearings 66 are not axially aligned, but areinclined with the pivot axes converging at an acute angle at a pointabove the bearings so that the arc of the swing of the arms 68 as theybring the electrode element 70 against the shoe has a downward componentof movement which is small with respect to the horizontal component ofmovement but which nevertheless suffices to provide an inward bias forceto the arms 68 and electrode elements 76 because of the eiiect ofgravity. Each electrode element 7G is provided with a pair of insulatingspacer 0 members 72 which engage the side of a shoe to align theelectrode elements with such sides.

Energization of the electrodes by the oscillator is provided through aconnection between each bearing mount 6%, 62 and one end of the anodetank 36. For this purpose conductors 8t), 81 (Fig. 2) are used and eachis connected at one end to one of the bearing mounts 60,.

62 while its other end is formed to cooperate with a spring clipconnection 82 at one or the other end of said tank in the manner of aknife switch, so that the connection may be made by sliding of the trackrearwardly as it is brought into the position shown in Fig. l. The track54 may be clamped to the chassis by thumb screws 92 engaging ears 90 atthe front ends of the track.

The shoe positioning mechanism includes a carriage 96 having wheels 98rolling in the track 54 and carrying a jackpost 100 mounted for verticalmovement and biased upwardly by a spring 102. The upper limit ofmovement of the jackpost is arranged to present the heel end portion ofthe shoe to the electrodes at the right height for a shoe having a lastof the lowest cone height. Accordingly the position of the heel endportions of shoes having greater last cone heights will be somewhatabove the correct operating position when the shoe is pushed into thedotted position shown in Fig. l in which the heel end engages a stopgage 104. Accordingly a bridge member 106 having a heel-end engagingprojection 108 is arranged above the electrodes to push the shoe down tooperating position when the cover 14 is closed. For this purpose thebridge member 106 is supported by a pair of rods 110 slidable verticallyin brackets 112 secured to the chassis and biased upwardly by springs114 which act upon collars 116 secured to the rods. Each collar 116 hasa projecting shoulder portion 118 (Fig. 2) which is engaged by a lug 120secured to the cover in such a position that, when the cover is closed,the lug engages the shoulder portion to move the rods 110 and hence thebridge member 106 downward.

For opening the electrodes, that is for spreading the arms 68 so thatthe electrode assembly may receive the heel end portion of a shoe whenthe cover is raised, a slotted wedge separator 130 is supported uponscrews 131 threaded in the bearing mounts 60, 62 for vertical slidingmovement between the arms, the member 130 being biased upwardly by aspring 132 acting through a slidable rod 133 (Fig. 1). Adjacent to thepoint where the separator 130 passes between the arms of each electrode,the wedging member has a neck portion 136 (Figs. 2 and 3) and beneath ita portion 138 having sloping shoulders. The width of the neck portion136 is sufiiciently narrow to permit the arms 68 to swing in on oppositesides of the neck to bring the electrode elements against the side ofthe heel. Normally, however, the wedging member 130 is urged upwardly bythe spring 132 and rod 133 into a position in which the shoulders engagethe arms and force them apart as shown in Fig. 4. Downward movement ofthe bridge member 106 brings an adjustable set screw 140 down upon thetop of the member 130, thereby moving it downwardly to release theelectrodes to swing inwardly into operative position when the cover isclosed. Threaded into the screws 131 are screws 142 (Fig. 4) which serveto support and conduct electric energy to a pair of auxiliary electrodeelements 150 (Fig. 2).

In operation, with the oscillator circuits warmed up and ready to supplyhigh-frequency energy to the electrodes, a lasted shoe having stiffenermaterial incorporated into its upper at the heel portion is jacked onthe post 100. The carriage 96 is then advanced until the heel end of theshoe engages the stop gage 104. The cover is then lowered to release theelectrode elements to swing inwardly into operative position against theshoe and at the same time the shoe is correctly positioned heightwise ofthe electrodes by the cover lugs 120. At the end of the operating cyclethe cover is raised, the resulting upward movement of the bridge member106 releasing the engagement between the shoe and the projection 108 andat the same time allowing the member to rise and wedge open theelectrodes to receive a further shoe.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In apparatus for establishing an electric field in the end portion ofa shoe, in combination, a support, a pair of electrode elements adaptedto be operatively positioned on opposite sides of the end portion of ashoe, and a pair of bearings each supporting one of said elements forfree swinging movement about a pivot axis, the pivot axes beingconvergent at a point which in normal operation, lies above thebearings, whereby the said elements are gravity-biased to swing towardthe sides of an intervening shoe.

2. In apparatus for establishing an electric field in a portion of aworkpiece, in combination, a pair of electrode elements adapted to beoperatively positioned adjacent to opposite sides of said portion,carriers on which said elements are mounted for relative movement intoand out of operative position, said carriers being biased normally tocarry said elements into operative position, a cover adapted to enclosesaid electrode elements and movable between opened and closed positions,and a movable Wedge separator having sloping shoulders, said separatorbeing yieldingly biased into a position wherein said shoulders areinterposed between the carriers to separate the elements, said separatorbeing arranged to be transferred from said position by closing movementof the cover to allow said carriers to move to operative position.

3. In apparatus for establishing an electric field in the end portion ofa shoe, in combination, a support, a pair of electrode elements adaptedto be operatively positioned on opposite sides of the end portion of ashoe, and a pair of ball bearings disposed on said support with pivotaxes convergent at an acute angle at a point which in normal operationlies above the bearings, each of said bearings supporting one of saidelements for swinging movement about its pivot axis, whereby the saidelements are gravity-biased gently toward the sides of an interveningshoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

